Henri Decoin

Henri Decoin was a French swimmer and water polo player who competed for France at two Summer Olympics before building a long career as a film director and screenwriter. Born in Paris on 18 March 1890, he won the French national swimming title in 1911 and held the national record in the 500 metre freestyle. He swam the 400 metre freestyle at the 1908 Summer Olympics and played in the water polo tournament at the 1912 Summer Olympics. After serving as a pilot in the First World War he worked as a sports journalist for L'Auto, L'Intransigeant and Paris-Soir, published a prize-winning book built around a boxing match, Quinze Combats, in 1926, and directed his first film in 1933. He went on to direct more than fifty films, working with many leading French actors, and died in 1969.